1. Field of the Invention
This application is generally directed to devices for providing emergency inflation of vehicle tires or other articles and more specifically to a tire inflation apparatus which provides an elongated pliable air transfer tube with similar valve chucks being mounted at opposite ends of the tube. The valve chucks may be secured to valve stems of conventional tires to provide for transfer of air from inflated tires to a deflated tire. A control valve and pressure gauge are incorporated with a rotatable sleeve secured to one of the valve chucks.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
Most vehicle drivers have at one time or another experienced the inconvenience of a flat tire. Flat tires are often caused by faulty valves or by slow leaks created by punctures created by sharp objects which may remain in place, such as when a nail penetrates a tread of a tire and becomes lodged in the tire but causes a slow leak of pressurized air. When a tire becomes flat, it is necessary to stop a vehicle and either inflate the tire or replace the tire with a spare, if a spare tire is available. However, there are many instances where individuals can not physically change a tire or where, due to the lack of or faulty tire changing equipment, such as jacks and jack handles, it is not possible to effect a change between a flat tire and a spare.
There have been numerous products developed to provide for emergency inflation of vehicle tires to permit emergency use of a vehicle so that vehicle can be driven to a repair facility wherein the damaged tire can be properly fixed or replaced. Some such innovations include hand or foot operated pumps or battery operated pumps which may be connected to a vehicle electrical system to inject air into a flat tire. Unfortunately, hand or foot operated type pumps require a great deal of physical ability and, in many cases, individuals can not properly operate such devices. Further, even where an individual can physically work a hand or foot operated pump, it is often a slow and tedious process to inflate a tire to a degree wherein a vehicle can be safely moved. Likewise, many battery operated pumps are slow and inefficient.
Another type of emergency inflation device includes containers having pressurized substances therein which substances may be injected through a valve of a conventional tire for sealing the interior surface of the tire and to provide a measure of pressurized gas to allow for emergency movement of the vehicle. Unfortunately, such inflation devices must be purchased ahead of time and have limited storage life. Further, once a container is used, it must be replaced, thereby requiring an expenditure of funds for the replacement container.
In view of the foregoing, there have been other innovations developed to permit transfer of air between a spare tire or other tires of a vehicle and a flat tire. By way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,492,838 to Dilweg, a device for transmitting compressed air between two vehicle tires is disclosed which includes a flexible tube having air chucks at each end which are adapted to be engaged such that one chuck is connected to open the valve stem of a flat tire and the opposite chuck is utilized to open the valve stem of an inflated tire such that pressure from the inflated tire is transferred to the flat tire. Unfortunately, devices as disclosed in the reference to Dilweg do not adequately provide for a safe and efficient transfer of air pressure, especially in instances where the flat tire is not caused by a slow leak but has been caused by a slash or large hole in the tire, such that the tire can not retain any air pressure. If a badly damaged flat tire is connected to an inflated tire, the air from the inflated tire will continuously bleed through the damaged tire resulting in the complete depletion of pressurized air from the inflated tire thus creating a situation where the vehicle now has two tires which are inoperative.
In an effort to improve upon the basic concept of providing an air transfer tube to permit the transfer of pressurized air from an inflated tire to a deflated tire, special valves have been proposed to limit the transfer of air to a deflated tire. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,312 to Bressler such a device is disclosed wherein one of the chucks includes a spring biased check valve for cutting off flow from the inflated tire to the deflated tire when pressure entering the chuck is at a predetermined level. Unfortunately, if the damaged tire has been badly damaged there will have been a transfer of a significant portion of air from the inflated tire before the flow of pressurized air is terminated thus making the vehicle relatively unsafe to drive.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide for a device for transferring air between the tires of a vehicle, including a spare tire, and a tire which has been deflated wherein the device can be used without depleting the air pressure of a pressurized tire in the event the tire to receive air is badly damage such that it can not retain air pressure, thus preventing the adverse depletion of air from good tires when attempting to inflate flat tires.
Some additional examples of prior art air transfer devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des 360,457 to Levisay, U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,348 to Farrish, U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,638 to Mosca, U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,377 to Harris and U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,443 to Jorda et al.